The presence of human pharmaceuticals in the environment has raised concerns regarding their potential adverse effects on non-target aquatic organisms. Pharmaceuticals are designed to target specific molecular pathways in humans in order to produce known pharmacological and physiological responses, before toxicological effects are seen. The “Read-Across Hypothesis” stipulates that pharmaceuticals can produce similar biological effects in fish, as in humans, if the molecular target is conserved, and the internal (blood plasma) concentrations are similar. The read-across hypothesis was tested using ibuprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, and the model fish test species, the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), to determine if ibuprofen can cause similar target-mediated effects in teleost fish and humans, at comparable blood plasma concentrations. Fathead minnows were exposed, using continuous flow-through systems, for ≤96 hours to a range of ibuprofen water concentrations (100, 270, 370 and 500 µg/L) to determine if plasma concentrations similar to human therapeutic plasma concentrations (HTPCs, or Cmax) could be established in fish blood plasma. The mode of action of ibuprofen was used to identify relevant endpoints (i.e. cyclooxygenase (COX) enzyme) in order to examine target-mediated effects following drug exposure. The water and plasma ibuprofen concentrations were determined using LC-MS/MS. The measured ibuprofen plasma concentrations in individual fish were linked to target-mediated effects on COX gene expression, COX enzyme activity and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis (products of COX activity), which were quantified using molecular (QPCR) and biochemical (colourimetric and enzyme immunoassay) assays, and linked with the Cmax of ibuprofen. It was demonstrated that in fish with a mean ibuprofen plasma concentration 1.8-fold below the Cmax, PGE2 concentrations (the most robust endpoint) was significantly inhibited following ibuprofen exposure. However, in fish exposed to an ibuprofen concentration closer to (2 to 3-fold above) environmentally relevant water concentrations (i.e. 9 µg/L), when the mean plasma concentration was 224-fold below the Cmax, fish did not respond to ibuprofen exposure. This study provides qualitative and quantitative evidence for the applicability of the “read-across hypothesis”, and highlights its potential utility for prioritising pharmaceuticals for environmental risk assessment.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Cette thèse examine comment en l'espace de quelques années, des collectifs sont créés au Liban, en tant qu'«espaces de passage» politiques pour des acteurs à la recherche de ressources permettant une reconversion d'un capital militant engrangé. Ce qui nous a amené à un double questionnement: que nous dit ce «moment» de l'altermondialisme au Liban de l'altermondialisme en général? Et de l'espace du militantisme au Liban? Comment le label altermondialiste est revendiqué dans un contexte particulièrement verrouillé d'une part par le système politique dont les acteurs dominants disposent de ressources importantes pour entraver les mobilisations protestataires, d'autre part par un système partisan et associatif dont les militants altermondialistes s'évertuent de se distinguer. Nous avons aussi examiné les «bricolages singuliers» de cadres de références altermondialistes, pour proposer une «analyse localisée» de l'altermondialisme : si la mouvance s'inscrit dans un horizon idéologique et langagier «international», elle s'organise, se comprend, s'énonce, se transforme avant tout dans un système de contraintes mais aussi un «dialecte» tout libanais. Plutôt que de proposer une analyse en termes d'importation de la cause, nous nous sommes penchés sur l'idée d'une greffe de la cause à saisir dans les interactions possibles entre son énonciation locale et ses avatars globaux, mais aussi entre les innovations militantes que l'altermondialisme libanais comprend et les formes de reproductions locales qui le travaillent. Basant la démonstration sur quatre collectifs, cette thèse vise à apporter un éclairage sur les politiques protestataires au Liban en combinant, aux différentes étapes de l'enquête et de la démonstration, une approche mésosociologique (au niveau des collectifs) et microsociologique (au niveau des acteurs). Nous tenterons ainsi de comprendre comment et pourquoi le militantisme altermondialiste a constitué un militantisme de «passage» au Liban. / This thesis explores how in the space of few years, we have witnessed the formation of collectives in Lebanon as "political pathways" for actors searching for resources to allow the reconversion of accumulated militant capital, which raises a two-folded question: What does this moment of "alternative-globalization" tell us about alternative globalization in general? And what does it tell us about the militant and activist space in Lebanon? How was the label of "alternative-globalization" reclaimed facing a context which from the one hand, important and significant resources are being employed by the Lebanese political system, and its dominant actors to haIt and hinder mobilizations and protests, while on the other, facing a partisan and associative system, which the alternative globalization militants and activists are striving to distinguish themselves from it. Throughout this thesis, we will be examining particular and specific "bricolages" of the alternative globalization's frame of reference to be able to propose a "localized analysis" of alternative globalization: Although the alternative globalization movement is of an international ideological and linguistic frame and context, yet it is organized, understood and transformed within a local system of constraints, and then voiced in a Lebanese "dialect". lnstead of proposing an analysis of importing the cause, we are examining the idea of adapting and reclaiming the cause between the existing and possible interactions between local limitations and manifestations and its global actors (avatars), but also, between the Lebanese activist innovations of alternative globalization and its reproduced local forms. Basing our analysis on four collectives, this thesis aims to shed the light on protest politics adopted in Lebanon, while combining, at different stages of our study, the meso-sociological (on the level of the collectives) and the micro-sociological (on the level of actors). By doing so, we are trying to understand how and why the alternative globalization constituted an activist/militant space of passage for the movement in Lebanon.

Le mouvement accru de rationalisation des dépenses publiques conduit les acteurs publics français et notamment les collectivités territoriales à faire de nombreux choix et arbitrages parmi les initiatives menées en-dehors du champ traditionnel de leurs compétences obligatoires. « Que faire de l'Action Internationale ? » est au centre des débats, alors que la demande sociale est toujours plus conséquente sur les territoires français. Comment comprendre qu'en parallèle des efforts de plus en plus importants demandés aux citoyens, on dépense de l'argent public ailleurs? En période de crise, certaines politiques publiques sont remises en question et peuvent paraître superflues. Au premier regard, l'action internationale est de celles-ci. Ce travail vise à répondre à la question suivante : pourquoi les collectivités territoriales coopèrent-elles à l'échelle internationale ?Les actions internationales des collectivités territoriales relèvent historiquement d'une démarche de solidarité internationale. La perception de la coopération décentralisée comme outil d'aide au développement dans les pays partenaires est, encore aujourd'hui, une réalité constamment rappelée dans les discours des élus locaux, des associations partenaires, et de l'Etat. Aussi, la coopération décentralisée ne révolutionne-t-elle pas les objectifs généraux de l'Aide Publique au Développement, dans la mesure où elle constitue davantage un changement d'échelle qu'un changement de modèle. Pourtant, ces dernières années, apparaissent des visions plus « stratégiques » de l'AICT, qui a connu des évolutions en termes notamment de diversification géographiques et thématiques. On voit ainsi se développer de plus en plus d‘actions internationales à caractère économique ou visant le rayonnement des territoires et leurs positionnement sur la scène internationale.En 2013, l'Action Internationale des Collectivités Territoriales se situe donc, selon les contextes, quelque part entre l'aide et une véritable co-opération. La nécessaire synthèse entre les attentes émises par les collectivités territoriales étrangères et l'intérêt local pour les territoires français oblige alors à questionner les aspects fondamentaux que sont le partenariat et la marge de négociation des deux parties. La réciprocité peut-elle exister ? Est-il possible de penser l'Action internationale comme un outil de résolution des problématiques locales ? De quelle(s) manière les expériences des collectivités territoriales partenaires peuvent elles représenter des sources d'inspiration et d'innovation utiles au développement des territoires français ? Ces différentes questions nous amèneront à interroger la place de l'Action internationale au sein des politiques publiques locales : une compétence à part entière ou un mode d'exercice et d'amélioration des compétences « traditionnelles » ? / Increasing cuts of local expenses lead French public authorities make decisions and choices between public policies which do not look priority. In times of economic crisis, some policies may look useless and can be questioned. Should local governments maintain international action whereas social demand is deeply increasing on French territories? Is it still justifiable to keep on spending public money abroad?Local government's international actions (LGIA) are historically based on an international solidarity practice. Decentralized cooperation does not seem to really “revolutionize” Development Public Aid: the scale has changed, not the model. Nevertheless, these last years, LGIA knew real deep geographical and thematic evolutions. Strategic visions are emerging. Economic cooperation, international forecasts…local government's international action became a way for territories to position on international scene.In 2013, Local Government's International Action is located, depending on the contexts, somewhere between aid and real cooperation. Which synthesis can be made between foreign partners' wishes and local interest? Partnership and negotiations between the two parties are key-notions. How to evaluate relationships between territories? Does reciprocity really exists? Can LGIA be part of territorial projects and seen as a strategic way to work on French territorial stakes? How can local governments improve their own practices by inspiring from foreign experiences? Is LGIA a fully local public policy or a transversal operating mode?

The aim of this thesis is to extend the social identity model of crowd behaviour (Reicher, 1984, 1987, 1996) by exploring the experience of collective participation, with an emphasis upon quality of within-crowd social relations (‘relatedness') and collective emotionality. A multi-method research strategy is employed to study these topics at a variety of crowd events. Studies 1 and 2 use ethnography and retrospective interviews at a student protest and public screenings of football matches to generate hypotheses for subsequent testing. Study 3 then tests these hypotheses by means of questionnaire data collected during Study 2. Using an experimental ‘visualisation' paradigm, Study 4 demonstrates the role of shared identity (and not simply self-categorization) in generating relatedness. Studies 5 and 6 present evidence that groups of high relatedness participants experience identity-relevant stimuli as more emotionally intense than low relatedness groups. Study 7 concludes the empirical work by using questionnaire data collected at political protests to test a model of collective experience based upon the findings of the previous studies. The thesis argues that a perception of shared identity with co-present others can positively transform social relations towards relatedness (connectedness, validation and recognition). Relatedness may then be experienced emotionally, and facilitate the realisation of group goals which may also have emotional consequences. Strength of social identity is also noted as an antecedent to group-based emotion. In this way the analysis offers three ways in which social identity may lead to emotionality of collective experience, contradicting ‘classic' crowd psychology in which crowd emotion was rooted in a loss of identity. Preliminary evidence is also presented suggesting that the experience of collective participation may have a role to play in determining future social identification and participation in co-action.

M.A., Journalism and Media Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, 2006 / The focus of this study is on the coverage of industrial action by the Mail & Guardian between 1999 and 2004. Mainly, the study seeks to understand the coverage of labour issues by the newspaper in post-apartheid South Africa. It is argued that the coverage, or lack of coverage, of labour issues by the paper is related to socio-economic and political conditions in the country. Literature on the influential role the ownership and control of media play in the content of news, as well as the influence of advertising, is analysed to attain a clear understanding of the pattern of coverage of labour news in post-apartheid South Africa. Therefore, the study uses the coverage of industrial action as a yardstick to measure as well as to understand the extent and the shift in editorial content of the newspaper with specific reference to industrial action. The main argument of the study is that the prevailing socio-economic and political conditions in South Africa, brought about by the advent of democracy, coupled with structural limitations play a fundamental role in determining the manner in which working-class issues are currently covered by the Mail & Guardian. It emerges in the study that the manner in which labour news in general and industrial action in particular are covered has shifted and thus replaced in the main by articles on labour politics. The extent to which the Mail & Guardian covers industrial action in the post-apartheid era has declined, and more emphasis is being placed on other beats that are not directly the interests of the poor and the working class.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Medicine in Pharmaceutical Affairs. Johannesburg, 2003 / Quinine is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in the bark of the South American cinchona tree. It is used to treat malaria, to relieve nocturnal leg cramps and is used as an antipyretic. Anecdotal evidence, especially from community pharmacists, suggests widespread misuse of quinine sulphate. It has been taken for a range of non-indicated uses ranging from a single dose monthly contraceptive to a post coital “morning after” contraceptive. A self-administered questionnaire, together with a confidentiality and anonymity declaration, was offered to all females requesting quinine sulphate at a pharmacy in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. After completing the questionnaire, the participants were counselled on the proper indications, as well as the consequences of misuse of quinine. / IT2018

Antibiotic therapy has been proven to be vital for the treatment of life-threatening bacterial infections. Oral antibiotic therapy, however, results in unwanted side effects such as the intestinal flora destruction, allowing for the colonization of foreign bacteria. This phenomenon results in the occurrence of antibioticassociated diarrhea. Probiotic supplementation has been the choice adjunctive prophylaxis for this condition allowing for the bacterial adhesion of intestinal mucosal binding sites. Probiotic bacteria are, however, susceptible to the bactericidal effects of broad-spectrum antibiotics, resulting in many probiotic formulations being prescribed two hours after the ingestion of the antibiotic formulation. This is, however, not always adhered to, with many patients taking the antibiotic and probiotic concomitantly resulting in the destruction of the probiotic bacteria. This study provides for the design, development, characterization and evaluation of an oral delivery system for the concurrent administration of antibiotics and probiotics employing a dual release mechanism or ‘Dual-Biotic System’. The premise behind the development of this system is to allow for the concurrent administration of antibiotics and probiotics where the probiotic bacteria are only released two hours after the antibiotic, in which time the antibiotic would be absorbed into systemic circulation, preventing physical interaction between the systems and thus preventing bacterial destruction. Amoxicillin was chosen as the model antibiotic in this study due to its spectrum of activity and wide utilization in oral antibiotic therapy.

Gender mainstreaming is defined as “[the] efforts to scrutinize and reinvent processes of policy formulation and implementation across all issue areas to address and rectify persistent and emerging disparities between men and women (True 2001)”. This explanation serves to highlight the dynamic nature of the concept while recognizing the eternal presence of the relational aspect of female/male interaction within society. What strand of institutionalism is employed in the diffusion of gender mainstreaming in the process of development at the various levels of implementation; what are the consequences of improperly conceived institutions as they apply to gender mainstreaming and development; what are the implications for the future institution construction; What if anything is hindering the progress of gender mainstreaming and development; How was relatively similar gender mainstreaming progress achieved by two countries with such different economic capacities? This paper will further consider the answers to these questions as supplied by international organizations, non-governmental organizations, as shown through their development initiatives in Rwanda and South Africa. Gender mainstreaming is the innovative inclusion and dramatic reshaping of power hierarchies through the manipulation of both formal and informal institutions. This paper will reveal the importance of contextual considerations in the creation and reform of institutions in developing states, as they strive to adhere to international standards of gender inclusive development. KEYWORDS: Beijing Platform for Action; Development; Gender Mainstreaming; Institutionalism; Institutions; Transformation; Rwanda; South Africa

Thesis advisor: Oliva Blanchette / This dissertation is a synthetic exercise in philosophy and theology, proceeding from the perennial question: "What is the specific difference between sacrament and superstition?" It answers that the difference lies in the order of revelation. Sacraments are a form of revealed praxis, and only the divine guaranty of revelation distinguishes them from other forms of human action, including superstitious action. Revelation takes shape in historical sensible signs demanding human interpretation, such as inspired scripture. These revealed signs also include precise human actions, however, in the form of the prescriptions of sacramental praxis. As the words of Scripture do not signify merely human intentions, but express the divine will, so sacramental action signifies a divine intention, not a purely human intention, in the form of this precise praxis. Sacraments, therefore, far from attempting some kind of natural purchase on the supernatural, in fact demand the opposite: the surrender of the human to the divine will, the admission of human insufficiency. This answer is based on a theological appropriation of Maurice Blondel's philosophical investigation of human action in his early philosophical work Action (1893), in which he rehabilitates the question of the supernatural on a properly philosophical footing by establishing a hypothetical necessity for a supernatural complement to human action. Blondel and Aquinas, therefore, both find the point of heterogenous insertion for the supernatural in human subjectivity: in the virtues for Aquinas, in voluntary human action for Blondel. The dialectic of Action (1893) hinges on the phenomenon of superstitious action, which functions as a middle term in the dialectic. Superstition for Blondel corresponds to an attempt at human `self-sufficiency': actively placing in a finite object of the will the transcendent perfection that can only be received passively as gift from outside the natural order, by insertion of a heterogenous factor in the human action. Given that human action is irreducible in Blondel's philosophy and even thought itself is a form of action, so superstition works its way into all forms of human practice, including intellectual pursuits like philosophy and theology, giving rise to `closed' and self-sufficient philosophical and theological systems. Moreover, Blondel audaciously turns Kant's accusation of superstition against sacraments around, arguing that it is the extreme rationalists, not the unlearned devout, who are guilty of the most insidious form of superstition by effectively fetishizing their own thought, finding there the completion that Blondel's dialectic demonstrates to be impossible in the natural order. Sacramental action, by contrast, since it requires submission of human to divine will and the admission of human insufficiency, it is at the very antipodes of superstition. The theological appropriation of Blondel's philosophy provides a heuristic in sacramental theology, since it entails that the supernatural efficacy of the sacraments cannot be attributed, even partially, to the natural efficacy of human action. It is hard to see how post-conciliar theories of `symbolic efficacy' avoid superstition, therefore, since they attempt to find in natural human action the heterogenous supernatural that cannot be reduced to the merely naturally perceptible. / Thesis (STD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.